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September Newsletter |
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Rolling and Priority
Admissions By Chuck Hughes Former Senior Harvard Admissions Officer Most of us are familiar with the early action and early decision programs that colleges offer its applicants, and many students look to take advantage of those November 1/15 or December 1 deadlines as they determine which schools are top on their school lists. For my students who are considering going after a reach school via early decision, there is another application option that I encourage them to consider - rolling and priority admissions application deadlines. This avenue can also work for students who are uncertain about what they want out of a college as well as for strong students looking to have a positive early decision without having to make the ED commitment. Rolling Admissions Rolling programs have often been associated with late
deadlines in which colleges still accept applications beyond February 1 on a
space available basis. The rolling model also has an up front advantage in that
colleges will look at those who are organized and able to submit applications
sooner rather than later. Those students
who apply early in the rolling process are often considered to have more focus
and direction as they prepare to enter college. Schools accepting rolling admissions
applications have traditionally been easier to gain admission to as the
applicants have a full array of spots available. The list of schools offering rolling
admissions is large, but some strong students have trouble finding a college
that is sufficiently selective to add to their list of schools. You won't find
any Ivy schools on the list, but there are some very solid colleges that do
garner a significant amount of interest from seniors in high school. Colleges
such as
Priority Admissions Priority Admissions is similar to rolling admissions in that decisions are made as applications
are completed and received; however, if a student has their application
materials submitted by the priority date, that particular school guarantees a
reply date before January 1. Priority admissions have deadlines to meet to
insure that the candidate's application is reviewed in a timely manner, and it
is a hybrid in some ways between rolling admission and early action. |
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